Advantages

Disadvantages

This printer will be around so long it becomes a member of the family

The HP LaserJet 4000N is a workhorse of a printer. I've now owned this version for over 10 years and it is still churning out pages as well as it did on its first day of operation.

This printer was heavily used at my place of work, as due to its reliability was the overriding factor for deciding to purchase one myself.

The standard model comes with serial and parallel ports, which could cause some problems for certain modern computers which tend to only come with USB. The 'N' model however comes with Ethernet network capabilities, so if you've got an Ethernet network (or router) set up at home (or office) then its pretty simple to set up.

The printer itself is slightly heavy by modern standards, but is a testament to its build quality. It's startup is very quick, and the printer is warmed up and ready to print after just 10 seconds.

The slide out tray is capable of holding 500 pages an there is also a n auto feeding tray which is very useful for envelopes, labels and odd size pieces of paper. It is also possible to attach additional paper trays or a duplex unit.Changing a toner cartridge is very simple and quick - the top lid just opens and the cartridge slides out. Over many years of use, I have noticed a gradual build up of toner though in the toner bay, although this is easily removed with either compressed air, specialised computer vacuum cleaner, or a damp cloth (with great care).

As the toner cartridges contain the roller that actually applies the toner, there is no long term problem of worn or marked rollers as can sometimes be seen on other laser printers. Branded toner cartridges for this machine are not cheap, but you get a lot of prints for your money, and there are many non-brand and recycled cartridges available on the web. Be aware with recycled cartridges however that the rollers can sometimes be worn or marked so print quality can be affected.

The top panel and display are easy to operate and fairly self-intuitive, with clear messages about any problems, plus flashing lights to get your attention.

The printer comes with a standard 4Mb of memory, which is fine for most jobs, but if you are going to be putting large images or complex files through the printer, it is highly recommended to upgrade to 8Mb. The speed of printing is significantly increased for complex documents this way.I have rarely had any serious paper jams in this printer, and only one during these past 10 years has caused me any real headache. If a paper jam does occur it is very important to be as delicate as possible when removing the paper as if a small piece tears off, it can then become a bit tricky to remove the offending pieces of paper. That said, I was able to semi dismantle the printer very easily to remove one particularly stubborn piece, and then putting it back together was just as simple. Well-designed electrical goods tend to be ones which can be taken apart and put together with the minimal amount of trouble.

Print quality is excellent for most office jobs and you get more professional looking results than an inkjet printer for letters etc. If you're primarily printing images though then you'll want to go for an inkjet.Although this printer is no longer available, if you can pick up a good quality second hand one cheaply it is well worth the investment. HP do have newer versions of this model available, with all the benefits of more modern technology, but this older model still delivers time and time again and one would never realise that its over 10 years old.

In conclusion: tough reliable workhorse than can churn out pages, year after year.